🗣️ Anne-Jorid Ahgnell: Palmsöndagen.

⛪️ Smyrna Frihamnskyrkan,
Frihamnen 14, 41770 Göteborg. 🇸🇪

🎦 https://YouTube.com/live/zHx7WzPrRQY

🎦 https://YouTube.com/@SmyrnaPlay

#Smyrnakyrkan #SmyrnaChurch #SmyrnaPlay #SmyrnaGbg #Smyrna #Frihamnskyrkan #Frihamnen #Kyrka #Church #Gudstjänst #ChurchService #WorshipService #WorshipOnline
#PalmSöndag #PalmSunday #StillaVeckan #HolyWeek

🗣️ Mats Särnholm: ”Ge det vidare – Det du har”.

⛪️ Smyrna Frihamnskyrkan, Frihamnen 14, 41770 Göteborg. 🇸🇪

🎦 https://YouTube.com/live/y9X_It3HGdk

🎦 https://YouTube.com/@SmyrnaPlay

ℹ️ https://Smyrna.se/Centrum/Kalender

#Smyrnakyrkan #SmyrnaChurch #SmyrnaPlay #SmyrnaGbg #Smyrna #Frihamnskyrkan #Frihamnen #Kyrka #Church #Gudstjänst #ChurchService #WorshipService #WorshipOnline

🗣️ Mats Särnholm: ”Ge det vidare – Det du har”.

⛪️ Smyrna Frihamnskyrkan,
Frihamnen 14, 41770 Göteborg. 🇸🇪

🎦 https://YouTube.com/live/y9X_It3HGdk

🎦 https://YouTube.com/@SmyrnaPlay

ℹ️ https://Smyrna.se/Centrum/Kalender

#Smyrnakyrkan #SmyrnaChurch #SmyrnaPlay #SmyrnaGbg #Smyrna #Frihamnskyrkan #Frihamnen #Kyrka #Church #Gudstjänst #ChurchService #WorshipService #WorshipOnline

🗣️ Anne-Jorid Ahgnell.

⛪️ Smyrna Frihamnskyrkan, Frihamnen 14, 41770 Göteborg. 🇸🇪

🎦 https://YouTube.com/live/3yz0mbdQHcI

🎦 https://YouTube.com/@SmyrnaPlay

ℹ️ https://Smyrna.se/Centrum/Kalender

#Smyrnakyrkan #SmyrnaChurch #SmyrnaPlay #SmyrnaGbg #Smyrna #Frihamnskyrkan #Frihamnen #Kyrka #Church #Gudstjänst #ChurchService #WorshipService #WorshipOnline

Irenaeus

Irenaeus of Lyons (circa 130-202 AD) is 1 of the most important theologians of the 2nd century. He’s often called the “Father of Catholic Theology.” He served as a crucial bridge between the era of the Apostles & the developed institutional Church of the later Roman Empire.

He was born in Smyrna (modern-day Turkey). He was a student of Polycarp, who was himself a disciple of John the Apostle. This connection to an actual eyewitness of Jesus gave Irenaeus a unique statue. In an era where secret teachings were being whispered in various sects, Irenaeus could claim a direct, public, & verifiable line of “transmission” back to the source.

Around 177 AD, he traveled to Lugdunum (Lyons, in modern-day France) to serve as a priest. Eventually, he became the bishop after his predecessor, Pothinus, was martyred.

Irenaeus’ legacy is defined by his battle against Gnosticism. Gnosticism is a diverse movement that threatened to dismantle early Christianity. Generally, Gnostics believed:

• The material world was evil, created by a lesser, bumbling deity (Demiurge).
• Salvation came through secret, esoteric knowledge (gnosis).
• Jesus didn’t have a physical body (Docetism), as matter was inherently corrupt.

Irenaeus saw this as a total rejection of the Hebrew scriptures & the reality of the Incarnation. To counter this, he wrote his 5-volume masterpiece, “Against Heresies” (Adversus Haereses). Irenaeus’ theology’s centerpiece is the concept of Recapitulation. He argued that Jesus “summed up” all of humanity in Himself.

Just as the 1st Adam failed at the Tree of Knowledge, Jesus (the “new Adam”) succeeded on the tree of the Cross. Irenaeus taught that Jesus went through every stage of mortal human life (infancy, youth, & adulthood) to “sanctify” & “undo” the corruption introduced at each stage of the Fall.

Before Irenaeus’ time, there wasn’t the New Testament as we know it today. Different groups/sects used different, & various, gospels. This is where we get the infamous banned books of the Bible. Irenaeus was the 1st major figure to argue for the Four-Fold Gospel.

He insisted that there could be no more, & no fewer, than 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John), using a poetic justification: just as there are 4 zones of the world (or 4 corners) & 4 principal winds, the Church had to have 4 “pillars” of the Gospel. By doing this, he helped stabilize the core of the Christian Bible.

To fight the Gnostic claim of secret traditions, Irenaeus proposed 2 tests of “Truth”:

• The Rule of Faith:
  • A summary of essential beliefs (a forerunner of the Apostles’ Creed) that all true churches held in common.
• Apostolic Succession:
  • Irenaeus argued that if Jesus had secret knowledge, he would’ve given it to the bishops he appointed.

Irenaeus’ most profound contribution to theology is the concept of Recapitulation (anakephalaiosis). Using the math of his day, he sought to “sum up” the entire human experience through Christ.

To counter his Gnostic opponents, Irenaeus significantly develops Paul’s presentation of Christ as the Last Adam. Irenaeus’ presentation of Christ as the New Adam is based on Paul’s Christ-Adam parallel in Romans 5:12-21.

But also dervies significantly from the Johannine presentation of Adam-Christ typology. Irenaeus uses this parallel to demonstrate that Christ truly took human flesh. Irenaeus considered it important to emphasize this point because he understands the failure to recognize Christ’s full humanity links the various strains of Gnosticism together, as seen in his statement that “according to the opinion of no one of the heretics was the Word of God made flesh.”

Irenaeus believes that unless the Word became flesh, humans weren’t fully redeemed. He explains that by becoming man, Christ restored humanity to bring in the image & likeness of God, which they’d lost in the Fall of Man.

Just as Adam was the original head of humanity through whom all sinned, Christ is the new head of humanity who fulfills Adam’s role in the Economy of Salvation. The Economy of Salvation (a.k.a. Divine Economy) is that part of divine revelation in the Roman Catholic tradition that deals with God’s creation & management of the world, particularly his plan of salvation accomplished through the Church. Irenaeus calls this process of restoring humanity: Recapitulation.

Irenaeus emphasizes the importance of Christ’s reversal of Adam’s actions. Through His obedience, Christ undoes Adam’s disobedience. Irenaeus presents the Passion as the climax of Christ’s obedience, emphasizing how this obedience on the tree of the Cross undoes the disobedience that occurred through a tree.

Irenaeus’ interpretation of Paul’s discussion of Christ as the New Adam is significant because it helped develop the recapitulation theory of atonement.

Irenaeus took part in the Quartodeciman Controversy. When Victor I of Rome tried to force a universal practice of fasting until Easter to supersede the Jewish practice & prevent Christians from partaking of the Passover, Polycrates who led the Churches of Anatolia continued to hold old traditions of the paschal feast. For this reason Victor I wanted to excommunicate Polycrates & his supporters. But this was a step too far for Irenaeus & other bishops.

Tradition holds that he was martyred around 202 AD during the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus. Thought historical records of his death are sparse compared to his writings.

In 2022, Pope Francis officially declared him a “Doctor of Unity” (Doctor Unitatis), acknowledging his role in bridging the Eastern & Western theological traditions.

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

Or enter a custom amount

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Sabbatean Movement

Also known as the Sabbateans or Sabbatians. This is a group of followers, disciples, & believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676). He was proclaimed to be THE Jewish Messiah in 1666 (Because of course that’s the year!) by Nathan of Gaza. Zevi was active in the Ottoman Empire. Many Jews (in the Jewish diaspora) accepted his claims. Even though he outwardly became an apostate due to his forced conversion to Islam in 1666.

Sabbatai Zevi was born in Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey). From a young age, he was a brilliant student of the Tulmud & the Kabbalah.

He exhibited what would today be diagnosed as bi-polar disorder. He had periods of deep “estrangement” (depression) followed by “illumination” (mania). During his manic phases, Sabbatai would commit “strange acts” (ma’asim zarim), like pronouncing the forbidden Tetragrammaton (THE name of God) or deliberately breaking Jewish dietary laws.

He was a Sephardic ordained rabbi. Sephardic (Jews) are a Jewish population associated with communities of the Iberian Peninsula. He was a kabbalist of Romaniote origin. Romaniotes are a Greek-speaking ethnic Jewish community. His followers became known as Donmeh “converts” or crypto-Jews. The Donmeh are a group of Sabbatean crypto-Jews but practiced their Jewish (& Kabbalistic) beliefs in secret.

In 1665, Zevi sought out Nathan of Gaza for spiritual healing. But Nathan flipped the script on our boy, Sabbatai. Nathan declared Sabbatai was actually THE Messiah. Nathan then becomes the de facto PR/agent for Mr. Zevi & his meager movement.

He wrote letters to Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, & the Middle East. These letters claimed that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire would soon be disposed of. Then Sabbatai would then lead the Jews back to, take a wild guess to where, Jerusalem.

In February 1666, when getting to Constantinople, Sabbatai was imprisoned on the order of the Grand Vizier Kopruluzade Fazil Ahmed Pasha. In September 1666, after being moved from different prisons around the capital to Adrianople (the imperial court’s seat) for judgment on accusations of sedition. (This is the same charge that Jesus was charged with.)

Sabbatai was given by the Grand Vizier, in the name of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV. So Sabbatai was given a choice: the death penalty (by facing some kind of ordeal), or convert to Islam. Sabbatai chose conversion by putting on a turban from then on.

He was rewarded by the heads of the Ottoman state with a generous pension for his compliance with their political, & religious, plans.

Nathan argued that the Messiah had to descend into the heart of the “Other Side” (Islam) to liberate the final sparks of holiness from within. This led to the idea of faith through transgression. The idea that in the messianic age, the only way to fulfill the law was to break it.

Sabbatai’s conversion to Islam was extremely dishearting for the world’s Jewish communities. In spite of Sabbatai’s apostasy, many of his adherents still tenaciously clung to him, claiming that his conversion was a part of the Messianic scheme.

Many in Sabbatai’s inner circle followed him into Islam, including his wife, Sarah & most of his closest relatives & friends. Nathan of Gaza, the closest to Sabbatai, never followed his “master” into Islam. Nathan remained a Jew, albeit excommunicated by his fellow Jews.

Inside the Ottoman Empire, those followers of Sabbatai who had converted to Islam. But secretly continued Jewish observances & Brit milah became known as the Donmeh (Turkish: donme “convert”). They remained a distinct social group well into the 20th century.

Make a one-time donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

Make a monthly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate monthly

Make a yearly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate yearly

#1665 #1666 #20thCentury #Adrianople #Apostasy #Constantinople #CryptoJews #Donmeh #Europe #February1666 #GrandVizier #GrandVizierKopruluzadeFazilAhmedPasha #Greek #IberianPeninsula #Islam #Izmir #Jerusalem #Jesus #JewishDiaspora #JewishMessiah #Judaism #Kabbalah #Kabbalist #Kabbalistic #MaAsimZarim #Messiah #MessianicAge #MiddleEast #NathanOfGaza #NorthAfrica #OtherSide #OttomanEmpire #Romaniote #SabbataiZevi #SabbateanMovement #Sabbateans #Sabbatians #Sedition #SephardicJews #September1666 #Smyrna #SultanMehmedIV #SultanOfTheOttomanEmpire #Tetragrammaton #Tulmud #Turkey

Rare Late Roman mosaic with Solomon’s Knot discovered beneath modern İzmir

Archaeologists excavate the ancient city of Smyrna underneath the modern urban fabric of İzmir and have uncovered a rare mosaic-floored room that offers new insights into Late Antique daily life and belief systems. The newly uncovered mosaic floor measures three by four meters and...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/01/late-roman-mosaic-with-solomons-knot-turkey/

Follow us @archaeology

#archaeology #archeology #archaeologynews #SolomonsKnot #mosaicart #smyrna

Yellow Barracks

Yellow Barracks, a significant historical structure in Izmir, was constructed between 1827-1829 as the first public building reflecting westernization, accommodating about six thousand soldiers. Positioned at Konak Ataturk Square, it showcased Neoclassical architecture and served as a symbol of the Ottoman Empire's grandeur. Despite its historical importance, including witnessing key events in the city's history, it faced repeated repairs due to flooding and was ultimately demolished in 1955 as part of a new zoning plan. The barracks were notable for their U shape and were built using stones from Kadifekale, embodying modernization efforts initiated by Mahmud II with the abolishment of the Janissary Corps.

#history
#ancientHistory
#izmir
#smyrna

St. Jean Theologos School Building
The Saint Jean Theologos School, located in the courtyard of the Upper Aya Yani Church, was opened under the Evangelical Greek School.

It is learned from the sources that the Greek Patriarchate applied for the reconstruction of the school by expanding it due to the ruined condition of the school. According to the application, half of the cost, which was thirty thousand kurus, would be covered by the church fund, and the remaining half from the Evangelical School's current money. The construction license was issued on June 3, 1903. After the school collapsed, Nikoli Paskaladi's house in the same courtyard was purchased and a new single-storey stone building was built on the foundations of these two buildings and a recess room for teachers was built in the courtyard. In 1920, there were 237 students in 4 classes in the coeducational school.

#history
#ancientHistory
#izmir
#smyrna